A few quick, interesting facts about a different topic each entry. It's like an apple a day: pleasant, good to have, and pocket-sized.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Apple #300: Crayons

I suppose the 300th Apple should be more of a self-referential, celebratory entry. But I already did my big reflective entry with the Top Daily Apples of 2007. And I really want to do an entry on crayons. So we'll make this the celebration: yay, 300!

Now, on to the good stuff.

I was in the grocery store, and I passed by the school supplies section. That area always sings its siren song to me, and this time I paused. Instead of being drawn to the notebooks as I usually am, this time my eyes went straight to the crayons. Specifically, I stared at the box of 96 Crayola crayons, with built-in sharpener.

I picked up the box, and without even bringing it to my nose, I could smell the crayons in there. Reader, I bought them.

It has been a coloring extravaganza around here ever since. I have a couple coloring books that are more abstract than the usual fare, and which allow you to be more creative. In coloring them, I have been delighting in the range of colors, from pale pink to violet red, and the veritable festival of blues. I have not even begun to sample all the fancy new colors that include speckles of metallic glitter, and some other new items that say "gel" on the label. I don't even know what delights those hold in store for me. It is enough to have so many shades of blue I don't know which ones to choose.

It is always a bit of a disappointment to wear down those satisfying points at the tip. But it's either that or never actually color with the crayons. And I'm sure not swearing off crayons.

Crayons existed before Binney & Smith made their first Crayolas, but nobody seems to remember who made them.

The crayons that Binney & Smith first made in 1903 were more durable and less expensive than crayons for artists, and they were designed specifically for children. Teachers handed them out in their classrooms, the children loved playing with them, and the long and happy life of Crayola crayons began.

Binney & Smith also makes washable Crayola markers, a product beloved by parents everywhere. And I like those, too, especially how they come in varying widths. But really, there's nothing like a good crayon.

Binney & Smith is now owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. That's been the case since 1984.

HOW CRAYONS ARE MADE

Crayons are made of paraffin wax and pigment. That's it.

The wax is melted to liquid form, the pigment is added, and the colored wax gets poured into a mold.

The mold has 1,200 crayon-shaped holes, so each mold makes that many crayons at a time.

The mold is dunked into cold water to cool the wax. After it hardens, a hydraulic press shoots the crayons out of the mold.

To get crayon out of carpet, spray on some WD-40 and rub gently. If that doesn't work, spray on some more WD-40, let it soak in, then use a bristle brush to loosen it. Add some dishwashing liquid and wipe with a damp sponge. Repeat if necessary.

The smells of coffee, peanut butter, and crayons are the top three scents people find the easiest to recognize.

3 comments:

I absolutely love this blog entry! I remembered that clip from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood as I was reading the entry and then you had it. I was thrilled. And I totally agree with you about Cornflower. It's lame. And....there was a Jeopardy! question the other night about Prussian blue changing to Midnight blue in 1958.

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